Sunday dinner with my family – sharing recipes, stories & special moments
I love a good pasta salad and this one is not only delicious, it’s easy to make. The first time I made this was for a family Sunday dinner. If you follow my blog, you will know I only cook gluten free on Sundays so my biggest dilemma in making this salad was finding good…
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A deliciously creamy and comforting winter soup you can easily make mid-week. What you need What to do Preheat oven to 200°C (450°F). Place cauliflower in a large bowl; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and add the cumin, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Place in a baking dish in a moderate oven…
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These aren’t just any old scones, they are extra special scones made with the helping little hands of my grandson Pedro. Scones are delicious served the traditional way with jam and cream or, as Pedro likes, with jam and peanut butter. Scones are easy to make and only need a few ingredients but, it seems…
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Hummus not only tastes great, it’s good for you. It’s fast and easy to make and once you have made it at home, you will never go back to eating store-bought hummus again. What you need 1 x 400g jar or tin of chickpeas 3 tablespoons tahini 1-2 garlic cloves crushed ½ tsp sea salt 5…
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Known as Melitzanolsalata, this is a rustic Greek eggplant dip made with charred smokey eggplants, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. There are many variations to this recipe but this is one my mother has made ever since I can recall. This is an easy dip to make for any occasion that everyone will…
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You know you’ve done something right as a parent when your son and daughter-in-law invite you to their home for a mid-week dinner and cook you a sensational meal! Apart from experiencing delicious food, it was so great watching how well my son and his wife worked as a team – one prepping while the…
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I came across this delicious Spring salad recipe in the October ’21 edition of a Coles magazine. It’s a nice change to the standard potato salad. You can easily switch it up by replacing the radish with soft-boiled eggs, which makes it a delicious lunch or light dinner. What you need 1kg kipler or baby…
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Not only are mandarins delightfully sweet, versatile and easy to peel, they are also packed with the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that our body needs to stay healthy. Mandarins are the perfect on-the-go snack and a great addition to kids’ lunch boxes. They’re fabulous in fruit salads, compotes and added to baked treats such as…
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Before I get into the details of how to bake these deliciously moist and “just sweet enough” Honey Oats Blueberry Muffins, I’d like to share a little about 2020 and my family first. After many weeks of lockdown, my family was finally able to get together recently for a Sunday family dinner. The excitement and…
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This Spring Green Salad with Peas and Broad Beans not only looks like Spring, it also has the aroma, flavours and crispness of a Spring morning. It’s a light, fresh, tasty salad that goes perfectly with fish, chicken or meat. The hero of this salad for me, are the homegrown broad beans that I lovingIy…
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If there’s one vegetable that I always have in my cupboard, it would have to be potatoes. And when I feel like some comfort food, baked jacket potatoes would have to be one of my favourites. The best thing about baked potatoes is that they’re so simple. Just pop them in the oven for an…
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When a dinner plate ends up looking like this you know it was a delicious meal. And yes, it was very delicious indeed! This meal consisted of a very tasty fennel-crusted pork cutlet pan fried and finished in the oven, served with creamy potato mash and a crisp fennel, rocket and apple salad. I really…
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If I had to choose a vegetable dish as my favourite, it would undoubtedly be braised Greek style green beans with carrots and eggplant. This is a dish I grew up on that my mum used to make with home-grown green beans and sweet ripe tomatoes from our garden. It’s a simple dish with complex…
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This salad is not only a great accompaniment to any meal, it’s delicious and hearty enough to eat on its own for lunch or a light dinner. There is such a great contrast of flavours and textures in this salad with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and capsicum, saltiness of the halloumi, crispiness of…
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The first time I made these fritters, I used zucchini grown in my own garden that were picked by my grandson. Like most kids, my grandson is not keen on green vegetables. He has this weird habit of analysing food and picking out bits he doesn’t like before he takes a bite. This usually means…
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Nothing screams summer louder than Caprese salad. The sweetness of sun ripened juicy tomatoes is enhanced by the aromatic basil and creaminess of the burrata mozzarella. This is such a simple salad and, it’s that simplicity, that makes it so delicious. This traditional Italian summer salad originates from the Isle of Capri in the Gulf…
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It’s been such a long time since my last post and the more I thought about getting back into it, the harder it seemed. But, thanks to the encouragement from loyal followers, here I am again. This would have to be one of the easiest and most delicious summer salads I have made. I discovered…
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This Cypriot Grain Salad by Hellenic Republic is really delicious and definitely healthy. As I do with most dishes, I’ve tweaked the recipe just a little by adding wild (black) rice for extra goodness, and the zest and juice of one orange for some extra zing! Oh…and this version is gluten free, making it lighter on…
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“Hurry up cookies!”, is what my little grandson said while he was waiting for his Blueberry & Muesli Cookies to bake. I can’t blame him for being impatient. The aroma wafting from the oven was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. These Blueberry and Muesli Cookies are buttery, crunchy and delicious, with a hint of honey…
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Moussaka has always been a favourite Greek dish of mine, not only because it tastes so amazing, but because it reminds me of where I came from. For me, it’s a quintessentially Greek dish that, when I bake it, it fills my senses with the flavours and aromas of my grandmother’s and mother’s kitchen. It’s…
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What do you do when you stagger in the door on a Friday night after a long week and can’t work out what to have for dinner because all you have in your fridge are some eggs and leftover pieces of vegetables and salad? I’d say most people would order takeaway. Personally, I prefer to…
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Hi Reader I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m not posting as frequently as I used to, so I thought I might explain why. It’s quite simple really – not enough time 😦 Six months ago I took on new employment (unrelated to food, unfortunately) which has kept me extremely busy and left very little time to…
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This is a question I often get asked when I talk to friends about our Sunday family dinners. Well, the answer is YES! My family all come together every Sunday for dinner, unless there is a clashing event, and I cook a variety of wholesome food for us all to enjoy. I always try to…
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Who would have thought that brussels sprouts could become a family favourite? Like many people, brussels sprouts have not been a vegetable that I would seek out intentionally, that is, until I discovered the way they taste when they are baked. Baking, rather than boiling brussels sprouts (which is how I was taught to cook them),…
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“Mum, do I really have to eat this soup?”…was the question I would always ask, when my mum put a bowl of ‘fasolada‘ in front of me, which was pretty often 😦 Fasolada (or Bean Soup) is one Greek dish that my mother insisted on cooking on a regular basis and one that I would…
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How do I describe this soup? It’s sweet, spicy, velvety, rich, flavoursome and hearty, with a touch of crunchiness – YUM! I don’t know about you, but this Roasted Pumpkin Soup has everything I need to warm up on a cold winter’s day. To be totally honest, I love this soup any time of the…
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Like most grandmothers, I am always worried that my grandson P has not had enough to eat when he spends the day with me, so I constantly try to create new recipes for him to try and these Chicken and Leek Patties are a recent addition. He is quite picky with his food, so when…
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There are many great things about my family and the one I love most is that we are from different nationalities and cultures, which means our food and conversation has many great flavours, textures and colours.I like to mix it up and cook something unexpected for our family Sunday dinners and this Turkish Stuffed Eggplants…
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When I walk into my greengrocer during the cold winter months, and see heads of beautiful bright white cauliflower encased in tender green leaves on the shelf, I get the undeniable urge to make a pot of silky Roasted Cauliflower Soup. Roasting the cauliflower transforms it from a delicate, mild to a more robust earthy…
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This dish reminds me of summer; warm, colourful and fragrant, which is exactly what I need to get through the bleak months of winter. The spices add such a delicious depth of flavour to this dish, that your mouth will water even while its baking, let alone when you serve it up! Add a crisp…
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I made these Polenta and Mushroom Bites as a pre-dinner snack last Sunday using some beautiful pine mushrooms I found at my green grocer. Pine mushrooms are very delicious, but hard to get and, at $24kg, I almost had to mortgage my house to buy them. I must say though, they were worth every dollar!…
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Do you love eggs and bacon for breakfast, but don’t like the idea of having to slave over a hot frypan to make them? I guess you could go out to a cafe to eat them, but that means having to get out of your PJs and who wants to do that early on a…
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Are you looking for a quick and versatile healthy snack that your children will love and your guests will enjoy with pre-dinner drinks? How about these Corn Fritters?Served on their own, these fluffy, cheesy Corn Fritters make a great snack that kids will love. I know because, like most toddlers, my little grandson is a fussy…
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A while back, I posted my recipe for my GREEK YEMISTA (or stuffed capsicums & tomatoes) which is a delicious vegetarian dish with fresh fragrant herbs, pinenuts and tiny sweet currents. Now I have another version to share with you. This is one my mum used to make that I loved as a child. Yemista was a…
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What’s not to love about these Sweet Potato and Quinoa Cups! They are sweet and savoury, soft and crispy, all at the same time. The flavour and texture combination makes these savoury cups very delicious and the ingredients make them a really healthy snack, hot or cold 🙂 I especially love the creamy tangy flavour of …
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One on my favourite ways to spend time with family and friends is to have a glass of wine with dips, cheese and crackers and these seeded crackers are a real ‘cracker‘, pardon the pun! I came up with these deliciously healthy crackers one day when I needed some GF crackers for Sunday family dinner.…
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With winter on the way, I can’t help but think about delicious warm soups and Greek lentil soup, or fakes, (pronounced far-kes) is the quintessential Greek winter soup. It’s hearty, delicious, and very nutritious! This is no ordinary soup! Eating fakes on a cold winter’s day, is like wrapping yourself with a cosy warm blanket.…
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Cabbage and Potato Bake would have to be my family’s favourite vegetable dish. It’s a dish they wouldn’t get sick of, even if I made it every week for Sunday dinner! This cabbage and potato bake is one of those comfort foods that people crave for on a dreary cold winter’s day, because eating it makes…
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It’s been a long time since I last cooked Kakavia, or Greek Fishermans Soup, and a recent dinner with a beautiful family who are in our circle of closest friends, reminded me how delicious this soup is so I wanted to share it with you, but we’ll get to the recipe later. Although the soup we…
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With Anzac Day around the corner, I thought I’d share my healthier version of Anzac Cookies. Anzac cookies have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. These biscuits were sent by wives and women’s groups to soldiers fighting overseas because the ingredients last and the biscuits kept well…
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Since I posted my FALFEL recipe, I’ve been looking for a great tabbouleh recipe to make for our Sunday family dinner, but found most I came across used bulgar wheat. Now, if you follow my blog, you will probably know that Sunday dinner at our place is usually a gluten free meal and, if you’re…
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Who doesn’t love choc chip cookies – right? The delicious little chunks of sweet chocolate embedded in the soft buttery cookie is a taste hard to beat. I especially love eating them while they are still quite warm and the chocolate oozes out when I break one in half – YUM! But…and there is a big…
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It’s now week 6 of my challenge to replace white sugar with healthier alternatives in my cooking and this week it’s all about creating healthier cookies! So stick with me and I’ll tell you all about it. Now, like most young parents these days, my son and his wife are very careful about what they…
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Hi and welcome back! This morning I was pinged by Instagram that thesmallthing.com.au had mentioned meatballsandmuffins.com in a post about making the bliss balls I’ve shared over the past few weeks (thank you Krystina) and, that got me wondering if others have tried making any of them. So I thought I’d ask you and, if…
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I love my One Pot Fragrant Chicken Stew even in Summer for two reasons. Firstly, the vegetables used in this dish are my favourite summer vegetables. They add so much flavour, sweetness and delightful colour to this dish – they make it look so appetising. Oh, and did I mention how good the aroma from the vegetables…
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This is a special post for Krystina from thesmallthing.com.au, a fabulous children’s decorator and stylist who does amazing work – just check out her website and you’ll see what I mean. Krystina wrote a comment on my Instagram post for RASPBERRY BLAST BLISS BALLS last week and asked if I could create some “lunchbox friendly”…
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Hey there! Thanks for checking in on my progress. I am really happy to report that I am going great guns with my self-inflicted challenge to replace white sugar with healthier alternatives! And do you know what I am finding? The more I stick to this challenge, the more I realise it’s not that hard…
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Have you eaten homemade falafels? If you love chickpeas and haven’t ever made your own falafels, you are truly missing out! I promise you, that once you make them at home, you will never again want to eat store-bought falafels. Not only do they taste fantastic when they are just cooked, but they are incredibly easy…
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If you’ve been following Meatballs and Muffins the past couple of weeks, then you’ve probably read my other posts on healthy balls and bars I’ve been creating. If you haven’t, then just scroll the HOME page and you’ll easily find then. This is a new combination I came up with yesterday that I really liked…
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It’s been almost two weeks since I started my sugar challenge and I can honestly say that I have not used any refined sugar in my cooking during that time. Not only have I not used refined sugar, but I have also managed to reduce the amount of sugar I eat overall and that’s got…
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Meatballs and Muffins 